


Long Shadows Caught in the Tide

by Lucky107



Series: Strange Blood [4]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Blind Character, Clairvoyance, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 04:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8830537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky107/pseuds/Lucky107
Summary: Farkas reaches out to touch her hand so that she may feel what he is feeling.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The Ocean - Alela Diane - 2009

She follows the sound of his footsteps, nearly lost to the rushing water, and feels her way across the rocky terrain one step at a time.  The stone is uneven beneath her feet, but with the toe of her boot she maps out every rise and fall with a learned precision.  In this way she's able to follow him, even without physical guidance.

"Is it beautiful?"  Elara asks, surrounded by the burning colours of autumn that she cannot see.  The contrast of oranges and reds against the blue of the water is so far beyond the bounds of 'beautiful', but there are no others words meaningful enough to describe it.

Farkas reaches out to touch her hand, small and extended in search of him, so that she may feel what he is feeling.  Holding onto him, she feels the warmth - the passion - that the scenery evokes resonating through each pulse.  She offers his hand an eager squeeze, insisting, "I bet it's beautiful."

Slowly, patiently, he walks Elara to the water's edge.

It takes little time for them to lose their boots and wade into the cool mountain creek.  When the first drop of water from the waterfall lands upon her pale skin, Elara gasps.

It's polar water, running straight down from the Throat of the World, and it sends a temporary paralysis through the small Breton.  Her heart leaps, catching in her chest, and momentarily she cannot breathe.  But then she laughs.  "It _is_ beautiful," she concludes.

Farkas keeps a close eye on Elara as she wades further into the water, further out of his reach.

There's real joy in her smile that assures him she's not unhappy, despite her condition.  He can't begin to imagine a world in which he could no longer see the simple things that bring him joy - the light of the sun, the bold colours of the trees, and even Elara's smile.

She lives in complete darkness; it's the only thing she's ever known.  Emptiness.  From the day she was born, she's seen nothing.  Known nothing of the world's beauty.  Sure, she's done plenty in her lifetime since that day, but... she doesn't even know the basic shape of a human's face.  She's never seen a smile, not in the way Farkas has seen her smile countless times... and he wonders for only a moment how that must feel.

But Elara is staring, a knowing look in her sightless eyes.  "Is something wrong?"

How does she do it?

What does her world look like through eyes that physically see nothing at all?  How much does she perceive, and how much remains a complete mystery?  Or is she seeing a different world entirely, with unique shapes and colours that Farkas will never perceive?  He's not sure he'll ever truly know.


End file.
